To suffer is to feel. And that's not a bad thing, that's a good thing. Because when you go through something that is, let's say, not great... you can A. Know what someone else is feeling when they go through something similar and B. Help them through it. Longsuffering takes fortitude. Because tough times don't last, but tough people do. We learn who we are when we face adversity. And, guys, in this world we WILL face tribulations. Things don't always go the way we think they should. I've heard it said life is 10% what happens to us, and 90% how we react to it. You can't control what other people do. You can only control what you do. And when you suffer without striking back you show people a more excellent way. You show them God. You show them love. There have been times in my life where someone just totally and completely did me wrong. And let me tell you, the times when I responded with love--not every time, because back then (and, yes, still today) I was learning and growing. I wasn't as mature as I am now, and I'm not as mature as I will be as I continue to learn and grow--but when I responded with love... when you turn the other cheek, it knocks people's socks off. It surprises them. Because they're used to an eye for eye. They're used to getting back what they give out. And, by the way, what they give out is what they've already gotten. You can't give what you don't have, and you can only give what you do have. So when someone who is hurting hurts you, and you love them anyway, what you've done is break the cycle. You've given them what they need, even though they might not "deserve" it. But, like I always say, "deserve's got nothing to do with it." Love is unconditional. Its for everybody. All the time. It's not just for when someone's nice to you. I think you SHOULD love people when they're nice to you. Because that's kind of a rare thing these days. And it should be reciprocated. Love feeds on itself (HIMSELF) and grows and grows like a Holy Ghost wildfire. The consuming fire that consumes everything except itself (HIMSELF). So when someone loves you, pay it back. And pay it forward. But when someone doesn't love you... suffer it. Understand that its not personal. And even if it IS personal, don't take it that way. All these things we are to "put on" in Colossians 3:12 are aspects of love. Not things we need. Not just things we do. But things we have. Things we ARE. Our new nature is the love nature. What we do flows from who we are. What we do flows from what we believe. Putting on who we are means sinking into it. Getting comfortable with it. And the only way to get comfortable with something is to do it. To use it. So don't freak out when you feel like you're suffering. Especially when it seems unfair. Because those times are the best opportunites you will get to take the high road. To rise above your circumstances. To be who you are no matter what's going on around you. To learn and grow. To find the good, the GOD, in whatever the situation is. To suffer long, and know that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Its never suffering for suffering's sake. People might mean it for evil, but God means it for good. So feel what you feel, but don't let it control you. Let God's love control you. Let what you've been filled with fill you to overflowing and come out naturally!

I don't think longsuffering means you have to stay in a bad situation just so you can say you're suffering for a long time. I think it is the fortitude to bear what life throws at you. In this world you WILL have tribulations. That's just called life. But it came to pass, not to stay. And while you're in the midst of it, you have a pretty good opportunity to show people who you really are. What's that old saying? Christians are like teabags, you find out what they're made of when you put them in hot water. Let me say it another way: "For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God" (1 Peter 2:19 NIV). I mentioned yesterday that I was probably going to talk about rising above your circumstances. Or, as we just read, bearing up. Point being, just because something happens to you that seems unfair (or unjust)... you don't have to let it wreck you. You're strong. And in your weakness HE is strong. I'm telling you, the fire in you is ALWAYS hotter than the fire you're in. Like those three Hebrew boys who refused to bend the knee and got thrown into the fiery furnace. Their bonds were burned off, but they came out smelling like roses. Because there was a fourth man in the fire. And He looked just like the Son of God (because He WAS the Son of God). That's what God meant when He swore He would never leave us nor forsake us. Tough people don't cut and run when things get hard, or when things look bad. Tough times don't last, but tough people do. And the best way to last is by taking the high road. Don't fight back. Turn the other cheek. Let who you are and what you do speak for itself. Remember meekness? You don't have to toot your own horn. If you're doing right, the right people will know it. If you have to try to convince people that you're wonderful... you're probably not. But if you just go about your business, and take care of business, you'll be able to survive just about anything. Suffering is a part of life. But you don't have to be miserable. You don't have to wreck yourself trying to "get back at people" that do you wrong. Another old saying goes like this, "If you're looking for revenge, you should dig two graves." Point being: Let it go. Let go and let God. Don't sink down to other people's levels. Rise above. And I think one of the best ways to do this is to, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). I think when we're helping others we're really helping ourselves. Because we're too busy to worry about whatever is going on with us. And to bring it back to our first verse in 1 Peter, when we are people-centered (instead of being self-centered) that's when we are Christ-centered. Or conscious of God. Being conscious of God means being conscious of love. And being conscious of love means being conscious that we ARE loved, and that we CAN love. Love is the connection between Creator and creation. Love is the connection between you and me. The connection between people. And when someone ISN'T showing you any love... the best way to handle that situation is to SHOW them love. And if you do that, your "enemy" might just become your friend. And even if he doesn't, you still did what you were supposed to do. You still did something good, and commendable.

Suffering teaches us more than just about anything else. That's why longsuffering is a fruit of the Spirit, and one of the things we are to "put on" in Colossians 3:12. If you throw in the towel at the first sign of adversity, you probably aren't going to get very far in life. In fact, Jesus said it like this, "...Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62 NLT). And my point isn't that we should start looking at each other as fit or not fit. My point is that this everlasting, eternal, abundant, Resurrection Life is a marathon, not a sprint. If you're not willing to go through the ups and the downs of life--and in this world there WILL be tribulation--you won't be able to truly appreciate this life. Its like Chinese food: Sweet AND sour. You almost can't have one without the other. If everything was "good," "good" wouldn't mean anything. "Good" is only "good" because it has something to compare itself with. So when you're in the midst of suffering... be of good cheer. Remember, we go through things so that we can learn from them and grow. And so that we can help others through those same things. We don't suffer for no reason. Everything that happens, well, let me say it like this: "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them" (Romans 8:28 NLT). It doesn't say everything IS good, it says God causes all things to work FOR good. (And it could be argued that that does in fact mean all things are good, but I digress.) When you go through hard times, you appreciate the easy times. When you know things are good, its probably because you've experienced them when they were not so good. When you go through things, you have to remember that you are going THROUGH them. It came to pass, not to stay. Tough times don't last, but tough people do. And on the other side of it, when you put up with something (or someone) that makes you suffer... that's called love. Turning the other cheek. Taking the high road. I like the quote (and I didn't look it up, I'm just kind of getting the gist of it) that says, "Don't argue with a fool, they will bring you down to their level and beat you with experience." Don't let someone ele's suffering drag you down. Instead, realize that you've probably been where they are (or at least a stone's throw away from it... we all go through basically the same stuff), and lift them up. Let your suffering mean something. Let it be useful. To suffer is a part of life. And if this life really is never-ending, we need to embrace it. I don't want to take "waiting for heaven" away from anybody, but we are in the days of heaven on earth right now. We are in heaven because heaven is in us. We are equipped and empowered to reign ON THE EARTH. Right now. Today. In the midst of our suffering. When you're in a tough spot, that's the best opportunity you're going to get to show love. To show people who God is without even having to say His name. You can show a lot of love in the midst of suffering. That's one reason that it is working for good. Its a chance for you to rise above. And that's what I'm going to hit hard tomorrow (I think): Rising above your circumstances!

To suffer isn't always a bad thing. First and foremost, if you're suffering... that means you're alive. In this world you WILL have tribulations. That's just part and parcel of the human experience. Things don't always go the way you think they should. Sometimes things go the way you think they SHOULDN'T. But, like we've been saying, sometimes people may mean things for evil, but God means it for good. Because I can't think of anything that will help you (force you to) grow like tribulation and suffering. We learn so much more from our "failures" then from our successes. We only HAVE successes because of our failures. We have to do it wrong many times before we can do it right. Learning. Growing. And remember too what that word "longsuffering" in Colossians 3:12 means: It means fortitude. So let me say this, tough times don't last but tough people do. I'm convinced that the two main reasons we go through things are 1. To learn and grow. And 2. To help others through those same things. Jesus suffered through the "passion" so that we might be able to cast our cares upon Him. He's the high priest that endured it all, yet without sin. And I think that--more than anything else--is why we need to put on longsuffering. We really do have a tendency to let things wreck us. A few lines ago I said "people may mean things for evil, but God means it for good." I want to add something to that thought: People may not mean things at all. That's why I always say, "Don't take things personally, even if they are." Because I think most of the time people are more for themselves than they are against you. I think sometimes we're just collateral damage. People are, for the most part, very self-centered. They aren't thinking of ways to "get you." They are thinking of ways to try to get ahead. But if we burn bridges every time someone (maybe accidentally) steps on our toes... its gonna be pretty hot. And we're going to be all alone. I know when you're hurt, its easy to lash out. You can't give what you don't have. You can only give what you do have. Hurt people hurt people. "An eye for an eye" makes a lot of sense... to the carnal mind. But we have the mind of Christ. That humbleness of mind. That humility, or humiliation, of mind. We can turn the other cheek. We can suffer. And I'm not necessarily saying you have to suffer in silence. I usually do, but that's me. And sometimes it builds up into a volcano and erupts at the worst time. And I'm not necessarily saying you need to go around whining and crying about everything either. We have to find that balance. So much of life is about finding that balance. Because while longsuffering--or putting up with things you don't like, if I can say it that way--is an amazing way to show love... I don't believe we need to stay in a bad situation forever. If someone is abusing you, you don't have to let it continue. You can--and should--get help. Get out of that situation. But if someone is kind of annoying... don't set the world on fire. (Unless, of course, its those coals of fire--God is that fire, LOVE is that fire--that you heap on your enemies in order to melt their hearts and make them your friends.) My point, I think, is that there are some things, and some circumstances, where longsuffering applies. And there are some things that you absolutely should not stand for. You need to use wisdom. Righteous judgment. And you need to, above all, use love!

I guess we're wrapping up our kind of uber Rant Series about Colossians 3:12 here in the next few days. "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering." We saw that kindness is usefulness. The bowels of mercy are having pity on people when there is literally nothing you can get from it except what THEY get from it. Meekness is not weakness, it is strength under control. And humbleness of mind is the mind of Christ--being willing to humiliate yourself in order to help someone else. Which brings us to longsuffering. And before I get to the Strong's Greek Concordance definition I want to say... sometimes you have to suffer for a long time. Sometimes things take longer than you think they should. Sometimes things don't go the way you think they should. But when you begin to see the bigger picture--the grand scheme, God's plan--you can endure. That's why love never fails: Because love endures. When everything and everyone else gives up... love stands firm. It (HE) is the rock, the foundation, that we build everything else on. But, ok. Let's build our foundation for this Rant series. "Longsuffering" in Colossians 3:12 is number 3115 in Strong's Greek Concordance and it means, "longanimity, that is (objectively) forbearance or (subjectively) fortitude: - longsuffering, patience." And when I was reading (and writing) that definition the word that came to MY mind was... toughness. Spiritual, mental, and emotional fortitude. Being able to take what life throws at you. And life will throw things at you. Jesus said, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). In the world you WILL have tribulation. That's just called living. And I've always said the hardest part of life is living. Doing it every day. But... and this is pretty important... if you're reading this, you have a 100% success rate on making it through bad days. And good days. And ok days. You've survived up to this point. You may feel like you've suffered, but let me give you some peace... you ARE an overcomer. Not because YOU personally, in your own strength, have overcome anything. But because JESUS overcame the world. And because you're in Him. Because He's in you. So even in your eyeball deep in the suffering, I'm here to tell you you'll be ok. Even if you're in a situation where it seems like there's no way out, God allows u-turns. And I believe He ENCOURAGES them. You may have suffered for a long time. But you're tough. There's something inside of you that might bend but won't break. I don't believe in heart break. I think the heart is too strong. It can ACHE. Oh yes, it certainly can do that. But it heals. And if you guard your heart--by keeping it open to love and not by closing it down--it will continue to do what it was created to do. Which means YOU will continue to do what YOU were created to do. The heart will never stop loving. Even in the face of hate. Love doesn't depend on anything or anybody else. Love will suffer for a long, long time if it (HE) has to. And the heart will keep pumping. God's heart will keep beating, with love, in your chest. What's inside WILL come out, when you know and believe that its in there. That HE is in there. That LOVE is in there!

The best kind of strength is meekness; strength under control. Knowing what you're capable of, and doing what you can do, without bragging about it. Without making a big show of it. You don't have to just settle for things. There are things you should stand up for. There are things you should not accept. And when you need strength--when you're weak--the joy of the Lord is our strength. In our weakness He is strong. Because when we stop trying to do it ourselves... that's when God CAN do it. I believe, and I've said many times, that God is too much of a gentleman to force things on us. Love does not demand its (HIS) own way. And, I mean, there ARE times when God does what's best for us no matter what we think about it. When Jesus was lifted up from the cross and drew all men into Himself, for example. We had nothing to do with Adam's "original sin." And we had nothing to do with God's redemption of mankind. Its not by works. We couldn't do anything about it. Its by faith. God did everything about it and we just need to believe it. So we have nothing to boast about. Our "strength" didn't amount to anything. The Law of Moses had us in a hampster wheel of religion where no matter how hard we tried there was always (at least) one thing we lacked. The Law demanded perfection without being able to produce it. All it could do was point out what was wrong with us. So that's what we believed; we believed there was something wrong with us. So we tried to "fix" that "problem." We tried to better ourselves. But I've always wondered, if there was something wrong with us from the beginning, if we were missing something, wouldn't that mean that--by definition--we couldn't fill that void? Especially when you consider that it was a God-shaped, love-shaped void. Only God can fill that. Only love. Which, of course, is why we spent our lives, our three t's (time, talent, treasure) looking for love in all the wrong places. We were willing to try to earn our bread by the sweat of our brow because we wanted it so desperately. We were willing to do anything to earn that thing (love) that we thought we were missing. But no matter how high the tower was that we built in order to try to make a name for ourselves, no matter what we did to try to show that we were worthy of love... the bottom line is you can't earn a gift. You just can't. A gift is freely given and must be received. That's where the Holy Spirit comes in. The Spirit of Truth that leads and guides us into all truth by testifying of our true identity by testifying of Jesus. That's why we can be kind, and have humbleness of mind, and be longsuffering, and be meek--because Jesus is kind, and the mind of Christ is what gives us that humbleness, and because Jesus is longsuffering, and because Jesus is meek. He is our true identity. He is the joy of the Lord. God's BELOVED Son. He is our strength. Especially when we are weak. When we can't, that's when He will. When we work God will rest. And when we rest God will work. He doesn't dominate and push people around though. He kills 'em with kindness. Loves the hell of out them. He destroys His enemies by making them His friends. And on the cross He laid down His life for His friends. He was strong enough to surrender. To show us what love really is. So that we can love each other with that same love!

Strength announces itself without a truly strong person having to toot their own horn. You can--and should--be strong. Because, as Nehemiah 8:10 (NLT) says, "..."Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!"" Meekness is strength under control. And the joy of the Lord is our strength. And the joy of the Lord--the thing that makes God happy--is love. When He loves us, and when we love each other with that love. That's the New Commandment, right? Love one another as He has loved you. That's what God wants, if I can say it that way. That's what makes God happy. And if you think about it, what else but love could make the God who IS love happy? What else but love would the God who IS love care about? We think God is so, like, sin obsessed. When really God sent His only begotten Son as the Lamb of God who TOOK AWAY the sin of the world. God dealt with sin. Took care of it. Took it away. And I know we still struggle with this idea of having a "sin nature." Or we struggle with a sin consciousness. But I don't believe we have to. I believe we can lay aside the sin, and the weight that so easily besets us (Hebrews 12:1). We don't have to drag around the corpse of a dead old man. We don't have to let what Adam did define us. Because we're not IN Adam. We're in Christ. Because Christ is in us. In our weakness HE is strong, because His joy is our strength. And remember yesterday when we were talking about "constant sorrow" vs "the right hand power seat"? We need HIS strength most when we are weak. (Logical, I know, but sometimes it seems like sense isn't so common.) We need His joy when we are sorrowful. And guess what: Just because you know the true God and the One who He sent (just because you have eternal life, in other words), that doesn't mean everything goes exactly the way you think it should. My Dad's favorite verse in the Bible is John 11:35, "Jesus wept." I bring that up because Jesus, even Jesus Himself, went through some stuff. Hebrews 4:15 (NLT) tells us, "This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin." In other words, Jesus can help us through it because He went through it. He overcame the world. And that's why--and how--we are overcomers. We don't need to overcome. We have already overcome! Past tense. 2,000 years ago. When Jesus took away the sin (or unbelief) of the world. And He did that by giving us something (someONE, Himself, love) to believe in. Psalm 30:11 (NLT) says what I'm trying to say pretty well, "You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy." So we don't have to pretend to be strong. We can feel what we feel. And then we can trust the Lord to do what He does. Remember what Joseph said? "You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people" (Genesis 50:20). Our weakness gives God opportunity to be strong. We don't need to be strong. We can be weak. We don't need to pretend we're something we're not. Because His joy is our strength. His LOVE is our strength. And we have that no matter what!

Humility. Doing everything you can do, but doing it quietly. Not making a big deal about things. And certainly not making a big deal out of yourself. This idea of meekness really does go hand in hand with all of the other things we've been looking at in Colossians 3:12, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering." Because all of these things are simply different facets of love. Love is merciful. Love is kind. Love IS the mind of Christ, which is that humble mind. And love is meek. Love is the definition of humility. To the point where I don't think you can love someone unless you're coming from a place of humility. You can't love someone while you're stepping on them in order to make yourself look better. You can't love someone while you're too busy bragging about yourself. Love is giving. And you can't give while you're trying to get. Whether its praise for your actions, or something physical, or what, if you're trying to get something... you aren't operating in love. But look at it from this point of view: when you operate in love you are operating in power. Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, right? That's the power seat. Let me throw a little Genesis 35:18 at you to kind of illustrate what I'm trying to say tonight: "Rachel was about to die, but with her last breath she named the baby Ben-oni (which means "son of my sorrow"). The baby's father, however, called him Benjamin (which means "son of my right hand")." We so readily identitfy with Ben-oni. We, if I can paraphrase a song from one of my dad's favorite movies, are men and women of constant sorrow a lot of the time. And I don't know why this is. I really don't. But it seems like we put more stock into negative things than positive things. We can do 99 awesome things but its that one awful thing that haunts us. But that's not how our heavenly Father sees us. The baby's father didn't want him to idenitfy with constant sorrow. He wanted his son to operate from a place of power. So he named him Benjamin. Son of my right hand. Basically saying, "Everything I have is yours." Which, by the way, I believe is the ultimate truth of the universe: "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand" (John 3:35). God loves you and has given you... everything. So you don't need to brag about anything. The Apostle Paul wrote at length about how it is by faith and not works. How it is a gift. So we really have nothing to brag about. Any time the Word is made flesh, any time love becomes charity (love in action), it is God moving in us, and through us, and as us. We don't try to be like Him. We simply let Him be Himself... in us. And then we do what we do from a place of rest. Rest, of course, not being inactivity, but Holy Spirit directed activity. And since the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Love... that is what the Holy Spirit directs us to do; love. And that's the most powerful thing you CAN do. Because God is all-powerful. Which means love is all-powerful. Because God is love. So we don't need to make a big deal about who we are and what we're doing. We can be meek. We can be strong, but under control. We can be humble. We can be kind. We can display humility. We can do what we do because its in our hearts to do it.

Think about this for a second: Matthew 5:5 says, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." But what good is inheriting something if you're too weak to do anything with it? That's why we must understand that meekness is NOT weakness. It is strength under control. Look at Revelation 5:10, "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." We--God's elect--are not just positioned to inherit the earth. We have been GIVEN the inheritance, and we are equipped and empowered to rule and reign on the earth. Right now! When Jesus died, on the cross, 2000 years ago, that's when we were given our inheritance. That's when we got what we had coming to us, if I can say it that way. God wanted the best FOR us, so He gave the best TO us. And, by this way, this line of thinking that the earth is our inheritance and has in fact already been given to us, is why I have a problem with the idea of God "rapturing" a select number of people and destroying the earth. Or however that goes. Why would God give us something... and then destroy it? Doesn't make sense to me. But I digress. My point for today is: Reigning on the earth as kings and priests takes strength. If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything. I'm all about letting people be who they are, but that doesn't mean everything and anything is ok. Remember Paul wrote, "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not" (1 Corinthians 10:23). Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD do it. Is it kind? And by that I mean, is it useful? Are you helping or hurting? We ARE love because we HAVE love. And love is all-powerful. So we have the solution to every problem. We have the trump card, if there are any bridge players out there. But we don't have to use that power in a way that would make us controlling, or dominating. We don't have to be bullies. Love doesn't demand its (HIS) own way. Again, we can--and should--let people be who they are. Jesus didn't want religious robots. He wanted disciples. And a disciple is a student. So a disciple of Jesus is a student of love. Learning how to love as we learn how we are loved. Filling ourselves to overflowing with what we've already been filled with. Receiving and releasing the gift we've been given. Being strong enough--and I think this is the point I'm really going to hit tomorrow--to love people no matter what. To show our strength by showing our love. Turning the other cheek. Taking the high road. Being the bigger person. That's what it means to be meek. Not making a big deal about stuff. Not sweating the small stuff, and realizing that to God its all small stuff. He already overcame the world. We don't "overcome" when we try really hard. We HAVE overcome (past tense) when we understand that we were in Him when HE overcame. There is, in reality, nothing left for us TO overcome. The valleys were brought high and the mountains were brought low. The path has been made straight. And we can follow that Way (Truth, and Life) by letting Jesus be who He is in us, and through us, and as us. We can be strong without being overbearing. We can reign in love. With love!

Continuing our (kind of) indepth study of Colossians 3:12 brings us to "meekness." And I'm going to give the Strong's Greek Concordance definition in a minute, but first I want to give MY definition that I learned from my pastor. "Meekness is not weakness. It is strength under control." And this is kind of the same idea as humbleness being not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. So when we see a verse like Matthew 5:5, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth," it doesn't mean that those who cower and hide will end up on top. I believe fortune favors the bold. I believe sometimes you have to go out on a limb, because that's where the fruit is. But you can't be a bully either. I think I've made my thoughts on that known. If not, let me. I think bullies are the living worst. I think people using their strength to dominate or control people is awful. I can't stand it. But at the same time, I think the strong can, and should, and must, stand up for the weak. But lets slow down. We have a few days to dig into this. Let's start with the definition. "Meekness" is 4236 in Strong's Greek Concordance and it means, "gentleness; by implication humility." A gentle giant, if I can say it that way. Strength under control. And the idea of humility goes right along with everything else we've been talking about. Remember how humbleness of mind is humiliation of mind? Being willing to do anything necessary to give others what they need? Gladly spending everything you are and everything you have, no matter what the results turn out to be. That's love. And since God is all-powerful, and since God is love, that means love is all-powerful. So if love is meek, and meekness is NOT weakness, that means being meek is being strong. Its just not being loud. Not being boastful. Not being a bully. Being soft. Not to the point where you're a marshmellow and just let things roll over you, but being soft to the point where you can bend and not break. Being strong enough to not need your own way all the time. Love doesn't demand its own way. Love is all-powerful (which doesn't mean MOST powerful, but means "has all the power"). But love doesn't brag about itself (HIMSELF). Love just does what it (HE) does. Quietly sometimes. Sometimes to the point where nobody notices what love is doing until it (HE) stops doing it. But that's ok. Because love doesn't do it for a reaction. What's that song? "I live for the applause." That's not love. That's not meekness. More appropriately is the quote: "The reward of a thing well done is in the doing." Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. Sometimes when things look easy, its because you've spent years perfecting them. So you don't need to toot your own horn. If you have to announce something in order for someone to "know" it, it probably wasn't true in the first place. If you have to say you're the best... you're probably not. If you ARE the best, people will know it, and say it for you. You can be meek without being weak. You can be strong without being obnoxious. You can be humble, have humility, and still do what is right!